ll understand what we
want to express without my making a longer speech about it, but the fact
is, we haven't had time to cut and dry one, and I didn't like to put off
saying this longer than we could help."

"And I, on my part, must not lose a moment in thanking you, Mr
Saltwell, and the officers and ship's company, for the zeal and
perseverance you have exhibited on this very trying occasion," returned
Captain Fleetwood, putting out his hand and pressing that of his first
lieutenant, warmly. "You have all done me the greatest service any men
could render another, and I am most sincerely grateful to you all. Pray
say this to all hands, for I cannot now more publicly express my
feelings. We must settle some way to mark the day as a bright one on
board, but we shall have time to think about that by-and-by, and we must
now see how the mistico gets on."

It promised to fare badly enough with the unfortunate mistico. Either
Zappa did not see, or did not comprehend, the _Ione's_ signal, for
instead of attending to it, he continued running down the west shore of
the island, directly into the jaws of the Greek; but he reckoned
probably that he should be able to hug the shore so close that she could
not come near him, and he then hoped, it seemed, to get away among the
rocks and reefs to the southward, where she could not venture to follow.
This the Greek was equally resolved to prevent her doing, and no sooner
had she got her within range of the guns, than she opened the fire of
her whole broadside on her.

Though she had not seen the people getting on board from the raft, she
had no doubt of her character, and seemed determined to award her the
pirate's fate. The _Ypsilante_, it must be understood, was on the
starboard tack, with her head about north-west, while the mistico was
running about south, and about to haul up as soon as she could round the
island on the larboard tack, so that the attempt to escape was not
altogether so hopeless as might at first have appeared, had not the
_Venus_ gone round to intercept her. Zappa, of course, recognised the
_Ypsilante_, and, knowing that her gunnery was not first-rate, he
probably hoped that, as she could not venture into the shoal water,
where the mistico was, she would not knock away any of his spars, and
that he might manage to escape clear of her. The wind, however, as the
two vessels approached each other, came more from the eastward, and at
the same time fell conside